Electbioaliiy-heated haztd-tooi



Aug. 27, 1929. EATON ELECTRICALLY HEATED HAND TOOL SWITCH 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 2 1926 m M w 9 M a J J G 6 w 5 R M; y o WW m i N ulllllllrr l\|i-b M V g Aug. 27, 1929. a. EATON ELECTRICALLY HEATED HAND TOOL SWITCH I 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 27. 1926 8% (Lamb/1M} Aug. 27, 1929. ca. EATON ELECTRICALLY HEATED HAND TOOL SWITCH Filed A ril 27, 1.926

5 Sheets-Sheet flun Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED sT-A -s PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE EATON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO MAY C. EATON, OF

- BALTIMORE,

MARYLAND.

ELECTBICALL'ISIZ-HEATEDV HAND-TOOL SWITCH.

. Applicationfiled M51127, 1926i SerialNo. 104,864.

This invention relates to improvements electrically-heated hand tools'suchias curling irons or soldering irons. l

The object of thein'ventionfl s, Qprovide a tool of the character n ame dwherebythecurrent to heat the same may'rea uyg e controlled by the same hand ,which inanipulates the iron. 1' It is notan infrequent' thir'fg for" the gop'era- 1O tor of a hand tool to lay: the 'same'dow n without cutting off the electric current [and through oversight oif beingcalled away giving no thought to vthe heatingltool until. the same has become overheated or caused some damage. i w v i I The present inventionistherefore' designed to avoid these objections byincludin'g in their structure a means which' will automatically cut off the current henthetOOl is released by the hand which manipulates-it,-

1 The invention is illustrated accomp yi g dr w ng her inill hav ge ct dt show the same in connection-with a curling iron but it'is tofbe understood that the same may readily be 'applied to'anytool thatistO be grasped in qneh dlwhi fi'i I Qa P -r lated. z In the drawing3- Fig. 1, shows. a complete; oui lingironf-with my improved deviceenclosed, in the haHdIe thereof. i:

Fig. 2, illustrates, n a much enlarged scale, a longitudinal section through, the handle and my improved device, the parts'howeve'r being shown in a position with the current cutofi.

Fig. 3, shows," also on a' Iiiuoli"enlarged scale, the current controllingflelement .detached and as viewed from one endtheteof.

Fig. 4, illustrates the actua tin'giportion of the controlling element as the same would appear if viewed on the line44 of Fig. ,2.

Fig. 5, shows the sameparts as are illustrated in Fig. 2 but with the parts in the positiorli to close the electric circuit and heat the too J Fig. 6, illustrates the structure disclosed in Fig. 4, but with the parts in the operatedposition. i

Fig. 7, shows a sectional detail on theline 77 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 8, illustrates a cross-sectional detail showing the circuit-closing devices in the operating position, and

Ftig, 9 shows the detached circuit-closing um V v In thedrawing the'numerals 10 and 11 designate respectively the stationary and clamping members of the curlingeiron. This structureiis merely used for illustrative'purposes only and maybe varied. I

The stationary member 10 is attached to a handle part 12, of insulating material which latter in this instance has a reduced plug-end 13 for a purpose that will presently be explained. Theconductor wires14 and 15 extending into the heating element of the stationary member 10, are indicated as passing in spaced relation through the handle-part 12 in Figs. 1-and2. I

The handle is formed in three parts or units 'and includeIthe'parts 12, 16 and 17 ,the parts 12 and l'fzjbeing stationary and the part 16 be- 'ing' movable.

. Theinovable part or unit 16 has a collarlike iformation with a socket 18 at one side andais'imilar socket 19 at the opposite side.

Betweenjthese twosockets 18 and 19 the movable unithas a separating body-part 20 which is provided with two segmental slots 21 and 22 fora purpose that will presently be expla l v v :Inthe socket 18 at one side of the movable 'part 16 there is seated a'cup 23 which has an inner circular wall 24 that seats flat against the body-part 20 while the socket 19 at the otherflsideofthe movable part 16 receives anothereup25 that hasafcircul'ar wall 26 which ,seatsflat against the opposite side of said body-part'20.

These cups 23 and 25 are connected through the body part 20 by bolts or rods 27 which extend through the segment-slots 21 and 22, so that while the movable part 16 is interposed between the two cups 23 and 25, the latter are held seated against opposite sides of the movable part by the said bolts that pass through the segment-slots. By providing the segmental slots I enable the movable part to have an oscillating movement between the cups, the length of the segmental slots determining the extent of such oscillating movement.

In the present instance I also make use of a central pivot-pin 28 which extends through the body-part 20 and engages the circular Walls 24 and 26 of the cupson opposite sides thereof whereby to rotatably clamp themember 16 between the cups.

A coiled spring 29, is confined in a central recess 3O about the "pivot-pin '28 and has one end attached to the unit 16 while-its other-end is attached to the cup By means ofthis spring the movable un it is normally held in what may be termed a retracted position but may be rotated to a limited'extent against the action of the spring. Y I l I 'The' cup 23 has abushing; contact :31, extending through itscircular wall 24, and a binding post or screw 32, is'scr'ewed into-this bushing so that the conductor wire 15,. in the handle part 12 maybeengaged'with the'said bushing. bushing-contact 31 -ha s a s ig t y-be e imj t lnse ;33i o 'a p rpose that will also prse itl 'beex'plained. I The handle un'it1 2,"ha sijt sreducedplugend 13 entered the cup 123', Jandthis is se cured thereingby a 'cross';p in'f 34, .ezitending h g he 1 p and 'edu n To make provision for h" projectingend 33.0f the contact-bushing 31,1 provide the body part '20- of the movable unit with .a segmental-slot 35 as clearlyshown injFigs. '2 and;4. I

' 'The'cup 25, at the rear end of the moyable unit 16, receivesthe .reducedend 36'0fgth'e stationary handle-part 17, @Hdja crosspin 37,

secures this cup and handle-part-together.

The cup 25 also has a bushinggcontact 3 8 in which a screwor post 39 is located}. and this Jbiishing has the same tapered ormation at itsendas hasthe bushing 31. Thetwobushings 31 slides are directly'opposed enter- 'ing the.segmntal-slot'f35at opposite isides'but are sufficiently spacedto'preyent'electrie arcingbetween them; I v r Awire 40'isengaged with the screw or ypost 39 and extends through the stationary'handlemember 17 tola conductor cable 41, thatenters 'the end thereof.

A conductor-tube 42, extends througha segmental slot 43 inthe body partQO and one end of this tube extends through the circular wall 24 of cup 23 while theother end of said tube extends through the circular wall 26 of the cup25. v 'The purpose of this tube [is toprovide .a

conduit through which the conductorwire 14,

.may extend in passing from the stationary handle-member 12 to the handle-member 17.

The. movable unit- 16 has a lugor arm '44 extending from itsbody-part 20 into the segmental slot35 as shown in Figs. 4-6 and '8 of-the drawings and this lug or arm is provided with a cross-slot 45, so that .a spring contact-plate 46, may be passed therethrough and have its free ends 47 bent backwardlyto form inclined contact faces at opposite sides of the body.

The two ends 47 of the contact-plate 46 therefore have position at opposite sides ol" the body-part 20 so thatone of them, when the movable unit-16 and its body-part20 are turned on the pin 28, will engage contact "bushing 31 While the other will engage the contact bushing38 and thus close the circuit througli those two bushing-contacts.

It Will thus be understood that to close the circuit through-the heater member 10, the operator will simply turn or partially rotate the'movable unit 16 which rotation will move the contact plate 4647 between and into enga ement with the two spaced bushing-cow ta'cts 31- 38 and thus close the circuit. During the rotating closing movement ofthis unit 16,'the springj29 Will be placed under tension so'thatgto maintain the closed circuit the unit 16 will' be held the hand grasping the handle,the unit being smaller than the hand so that the stationary handle-parts 1 2-17 orv either of them will be gripped at the same 1 time the movable unit is held rotated.

'If thetool is'laid down or the grasp on the-movable unit 16 released, then said unit will immediately be returned by the spring;

29 to its normal cut'ofi position and thus auto continue }While' the. operator deliberately causes it to do. so andthough tlessness as to cutting off the current is not a matter for consideration as the structure operates automatically on-this,side of safety.

.Having'desci ibed my invention, I claim 1- In an electrically-heated hand-manipulated. tool .having a single handle ,adapted "forj gripping engagement by one hand, said handleincluding a stationary part and a ro Ita'ting 'part, the rotating part carrying a switch and conductors passing through the .handle and closed by the switch on therotary part. v p

.2. In an electrically heated hand-manipulated tool the combination with .two stationary handle-parts, of a rotary unitbetween said two stationaryparts said handle parts and rotary unit constituting a single handle, a switch carried by therotary unit,stationary contacts-carried by each stationary part and engaged bythe switch on the rotary unit and yielding means for normally holding the retary unit with theswitch out of engagement with said stationary contacts.

-3. In anelectrically-heated hand-manipulated tool having a single handle comprising -two stationary handle elementsfand a rotary element between said stationary elements, the

combination of a switch device carried by and on the interior of the rotary element, sta tionary contacts at opposite sides of the rotary element, yielding means to normally hold the rotary element so as to keep the switch out of engagement with the stationary contacts and a continuous conductor extending through the rotary element from one stationary element to the other.

4. In an electrically-heated hand-manipulated tool having a single handle comprising two stationary handle elements, the combination of a rotary handle element interposed between the two stationary elements said rotary element having slots therein, stationary contacts in each stationary element and exposed at opposite sides of one of the slots of i the rotary element, a switch device carried by said rotary element at said one slot to engage the two stationary elements, a conductor tube extending through a slot of the rotary element from one stationary element to the other and conductors in the handle and one extending through said tube while others engage the two stationary contacts.

5. In an electrically heated. handananipulated tool, the combination with a single handle for manipulating the tool, of conductors extending longitudinally of said handle, and a rotatable device associated with the handle and adapted to be simultaneously grasped by the hand that manipulates the tool, said rotatable device being adapted for reversible rotary movement by the same hand which manipulates the tool so as to effect a closing of the circuit through the conductors when moved in one direction to and while held in such position by the hand, and to efiect open ing of the circuit upon being moved in the opposite direction.

6. In an electrically heated, hand-manipulated tool, the combination with a single handle having a stationary element and a reversibly movable element adapted to be both grasped simultaneously by the same hand, of an electric switch device controlled by said movable element and adapted to be closed by movement of said movable element and to be held closed while said movable element is held in such position, and electric conductors to and from the tool and including the said switch, said movable element being provided with means whereby it is normally held in position corresponding to an open circuit through the conductors and bein adapted to be reversely moved to and held y the hand in the circuit-closing position.

7. In an electrically heated, hand-manipulated tool having a single handle, said handle comprising a stationary hand-grasp part and a rotatable spring-controlled unit which controls an electric switch, the stationary part and the rotatable unit both being arranged to be grasped simultaneously by. the same hand, electric conductor means passing through both of said hand-grasp parts, and said spring control being adapted to normally hold the m tatable unit in a position corresponding to open position of the switch, and said rotatable unit being adapted for movement to position corresponding to closed position of the switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE EATON. 

